Question 1

Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Franklin Roosevelt had little faith that public opinion would preserve the Social Security program,and expected it to be dismantled within a few decades.
B)  Public opinion on the usefulness of the Social Security system tends to swing back and forth dramatically with the health of the national economy.
C)  George W.Bush attempted to privatize aspects of social security,only to back down in the face of determined resistance.
D)  Franklin Roosevelt attempted to increase the size of the Social Security system,but backed down in the face of strong public opinion against any expansion.
E)  Ronald Reagan refused,against the wishes of his party,to propose reform of the Social Security system,because he knew public opinion would oppose it.F) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 2

Which of the following is true about public opinion polling?

Accepted Answer

A)  Polls are the most relied-upon method of measuring public opinion.
B)  Polls can be erroneous at times.
C)  Most large news organizations have their own in-house polls.
D)  The Gallup pollsters have correctly predicted the winner of presidential elections most of the time since 1936.
E)  All these answers are correct.F) B) and E)
G) A) and C)

Question 3

What was the primary cause for an increase in the public's support for a military invasion of Iraq during the six-month period leading to the start of the war?

Accepted Answer

A)  the inability of the United Nations to discover strong evidence of weapons of mass destruction
B)  mainstream media coverage of the actions of the Iraqi government
C)  grass-roots efforts by conservative groups that argued it was necessary for greater national security
D)  Bush administration efforts to press the case for war
E)  election-year posturing on national security issues by congressional candidates for officeF) A) and E)
G) C) and E)

Question 4

How informed is American public opinion? Explain.

Accepted Answer

The American public has a generally low ...

Question 5

Discuss the major characteristics of the political socialization process through which Americans acquire their political opinions.

Accepted Answer

A first characteristic of political soci...

Question 6

In a test of "civic literacy" conducted in 2007,the average college senior scored a grade of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  A
B)  B
C)  C
D)  D
E)  FF) B) and E)
G) D) and E)

Question 7

Identify and discuss the frames of reference that Americans rely upon when forming their political opinions.

Accepted Answer

The text outlines three of the major fra...

Question 8

Sources of polling error can include

Accepted Answer

A)  question order.
B)  unrepresentative samples.
C)  respondents' lack of knowledge or interest in the issue.
D)  question wording.
E)  All these answers are correct.F) A) and B)
G) A) and E)

Question 9

Which of the following is true of the relationship between public opinion and shifts in major government policies?

Accepted Answer

A)  On high-profile issues particularly,public opinion tends to affect policy to a greater degree than policymakers' agendas affect public opinion.
B)  Analysts Page and Shapiro concluded that leaders' opinions ultimately affect most policy issues more than the larger public opinion.
C)  The linguist Noam Chomsky claimed that democracy consistently preserved the will of the people over the will of elite interests.
D)  Analysts Robert Erikson,Michael MacKuen,and James Stimson found a pattern consistent with their claim that "public opinion has little influence over policy".
E)  All these answers are correct.F) C) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 10

A consistent pattern of opinion on particular issues that stems from a coherent set of political beliefs is called

Accepted Answer

A)  conservatism.
B)  an ideology.
C)  socialization.
D)  politicization.
E)  None of these answers is correct.F) A) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 11

A person who favors government intervention in both social and economic affairs is a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  libertarian.
B)  liberal.
C)  populist.
D)  social conservative.
E)  economic conservative.F) B) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 12

Which of the following is true of letter writers and demonstrators?

Accepted Answer

A)  They tend to be individuals who have participated in violent or physical expressions of political opinion.
B)  They tend to espouse a more conservative ideological leaning.
C)  They tend to have a greater effect on policymakers than the public opinion polls of the general population.
D)  Roughly 10 percent of Americans participate in a mass demonstration or write a letter to the editor each year.
E)  Their opinions tend to be atypical of the population as whole.F) C) and D)
G) C) and E)

Question 13

The process of political socialization in the United States is

Accepted Answer

A)  normally cumulative; political beliefs attained earlier in life tend to be retained to a substantial degree.
B)  highly structured; children are subjected to an intense system of government-mandated political indoctrination.
C)  highly effective; Americans are the best informed citizens in the world.
D)  extremely narrow; most Americans get nearly all their opinions from a single source.
E)  uniform; there are almost no differences in the opinions of various groups,such as northerners and southerners.F) B) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 14

Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's "spiral of silence" theory contends that

Accepted Answer

A)  most individuals are reluctant to speak out against dominant opinion.
B)  people tend not to express their views until asked.
C)  people holding deviant opinions tend to be more vocal,and hence silence the majority.
D)  most individuals like to challenge dominant opinions.
E)  None of these answers is correct.F) A) and B)
G) C) and E)

Question 15

The accuracy of a poll is usually expressed in terms of

Accepted Answer

A)  population density.
B)  census parameter.
C)  population error.
D)  sampling error.
E)  interview error.F) None of the above
G) B) and C)

Question 16

Each of the following statements could be considered true of either economic or social liberals,EXCEPT that

Accepted Answer

A)  they favor government activism in the area of distribution of economic benefits.
B)  they prefer a smaller role for government in upholding social and cultural traditions.
C)  they favor more government spending for the poor.
D)  they believe lifestyle choices should be left to the individual.
E)  they believe that government should be used to promote traditional values.F) A) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 17

Libertarians are opposed to governmental intervention

Accepted Answer

A)  in both the economic and social spheres.
B)  in the economic but not the social sphere.
C)  in the social sphere,but not the economic sphere.
D)  in neither the social nor the economic spheres.
E)  only with regard to affirmative action.F) B) and C)
G) A) and D)

Question 18

The most powerful religious force in contemporary American society is the

Accepted Answer

A)  Protestants.
B)  religious right.
C)  Catholics.
D)  Jews.
E)  Muslims.F) B) and C)
G) A) and B)

Question 19

Women are less likely than men to favor

Accepted Answer

A)  affirmative action.
B)  abortion rights.
C)  higher levels of education spending.
D)  the use of force to settle international disputes.
E)  All these answers are correct.F) A) and D)
G) B) and D)

Question 20

Define what is meant by a political ideology.Why is ideology important to consider when discussing the political thinking of the American people?

Accepted Answer

Political ideology is a consistent patte...

Exam 6: Public Opinion and Political Socialization: Shaping the Peoples Voice

Which of the following is true about public opinion polling?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The process of political socialization in the United States is

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Sources of polling error can include

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A person who favors government intervention in both social and economic affairs is a(n)

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Libertarians are opposed to governmental intervention

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Women are less likely than men to favor

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is true of the relationship between public opinion and shifts in major government policies?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How informed is American public opinion? Explain.

Correct AnswerverifiedThe American public has a generally low ...View AnswerShow Answer

Identify and discuss the frames of reference that Americans rely upon when forming their political opinions.

Correct AnswerverifiedThe text outlines three of the major fra...View AnswerShow Answer

Each of the following statements could be considered true of either economic or social liberals,EXCEPT that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In a test of "civic literacy" conducted in 2007,the average college senior scored a grade of ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements is true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is true of letter writers and demonstrators?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The most powerful religious force in contemporary American society is the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A consistent pattern of opinion on particular issues that stems from a coherent set of political beliefs is called

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Define what is meant by a political ideology.Why is ideology important to consider when discussing the political thinking of the American people?

Correct AnswerverifiedPolitical ideology is a consistent patte...View AnswerShow Answer

The accuracy of a poll is usually expressed in terms of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Discuss the major characteristics of the political socialization process through which Americans acquire their political opinions.

Correct AnswerverifiedA first characteristic of political soci...View AnswerShow Answer

What was the primary cause for an increase in the public's support for a military invasion of Iraq during the six-month period leading to the start of the war?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's "spiral of silence" theory contends that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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The American public has a generally low ...
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The text outlines three of the major fra...
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Political ideology is a consistent patte...
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A first characteristic of political soci...
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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